Trafcom News Podcast

In this conversation with Barb Sawyers, we explore some of the ways in which organizations can use storytelling to engage employees and communicate important messages.

A fellow member of IABC/Toronto, Barb is a writer and author of Write Like You Talk – Only Better. She also publishes a blog at Sticky Communication. 

You can download the MP3 file here, subscribe through iTunes, or listen right now with the player below.

Trafcom News Podcast 106: Storytelling within organizations by donnapapacosta

SHOWNOTES

Apologies for the audio issues during part of the conversation.

00:01 Intro; about Barb

01:23 People remember stories; in organizations, you particularly need stories for the tough sell

02:20 Recap of Barb’s blog post; keep the story concise; don’t bore people

03:44 Keep it real, admit to conflict (stories need conflict); identify heroes and villains

05:22 In some organizations, leaders fear conflict; maybe the villain is a problem solved, not a villain in the traditional sense of the word

06:40 You can’t engage employees if you’re not being real; use real language

07:02 We are emotional beings; people are naturally afraid of new things at work, such as change

07:33 Develop your characters; they should be likable

09:45 It’s important to warm people up before you interview them

10:44 Make sure your story has a point, just like fables always have a moral

12:00 Role of emotion in corporate storytelling; story without emotion does not resonate with people. People won’t relate to “just the facts”

14:02 Remind people that they can review the story before publication, to ease their mind and get better stories

16:20 Be sure you share with transparency and respect; find common ground

18:00 What to do when they say: “We have no stories!”

21:00 Put on storytelling hat to uncover employee stories; employees appreciate hearing stories about themselves

22:44 Classic storytelling establishes characters, builds toward a climax, then resolves; must have a conflict or challenge to be overcome

23:30 Pitfalls of corporate storytelling: thinking you have no stories; wanting to gloss over negatives; talking only about the CEO and other senior leaders; standing in the way of truth

29:00 Fear of the very word “story”

30:20 Day-in-the-life stories can be effective if it’s not a boring day; look for conflict or challenge to be surmounted

NOTE: Next Trafcom News Podcast will feature an interview with Steve Clayton, senior director of storytelling at Microsoft

36:00 Your comments are welcome; where to send comments.

Look for the Trafcom News Podcast on Blubrry.com. Theme music is "Beneath Your Surface" by the Elisabeth Lohninger Quartet from the Podsafe Music Network